Ricola refocuses travel retail range based on consumer insights

Swiss Herb confectionery specialist Ricola is redefining its travel retail portfolio of herb drops following research carried out by mind-set in Frankfurt and Hong Kong airports. The findings, along with proposed new product lines, will be revealed by the company at TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference this May (stand H6, Basement 2) with the final new product line up launched in full at TFWA World Exhibition. 

The research looked at key drivers of candy sales, the perception of Ricola as a brand and the perceived benefits of its herb drop range. “Interestingly, we found that at both airports the majority of candy purchases were for self with mouth refreshment and/or breath freshening a key driver,” says Andreas Reckart, Head of Travel Retail and Middle East at Ricola. “Common findings for both airports are the requirement for great taste and a self-treat of course, but also factors such as soothing a sore throat, relieving hoarseness, cough or cold, the need for a natural/healthy alternative, and sugar free products.”

“Most importantly”, continues Reckart, “Shoppers in both airports would be more likely to buy the brand if pocket size boxes or tins were offered with price not a consideration in the decision making purchase. In both airports the brand scored highly as being of high quality, a trusted brand from Switzerland, with soothing and refreshing benefits.”

With this in mind, Ricola has further invested in creating the perfect portfolio for travel retail, introducing four new SKUs to better meet the needs of travellers and removing those that are clearly not aligned with market requirements. This has seen the development of smaller yet exclusive packaging for travel retail, maintaining premium pricing whilst staying competitive compared to domestic markets.

“This is an extension of our message to retailers last year – we have now gone a step further in defining exactly the right product range, “ continues Reckart “Ricola has a global reputation as the world’s leading supplier of premium herb drops but this does not automatically translate into travel retail success,” he says. “Now that we clearly understand the reasons for purchase – primarily for self rather than for gifting – it puts a completely new perspective on how we present, package and merchandise Ricola.”

The result are four new travel retail exclusive SKUs being phased in over the summer period with further new lines being added over the next year under the strap line: The Herbal Travel Essential.

In pocket size packaging, perfect for impulse buy purchase and offering excellent retail margins, new product concepts are:

 1. Checkout item for individual consumption: 75g tin box in three different designs, unwrapped, contains 2.5g sugar-free herb drops in three flavours: Original Herb, LemonMint and Cranberry

2. Shelf item for individual consumption: 125g bag, wrapped, containing 3.6g sugar-free herb drops in a mixed doypack, Three flavours: Original Herb, LemonMint, and Eucalyptus.

“We now have a clear vision and strategy for travel retail,” continues Reckart, “a clear purpose and positioning within travel retail as the ‘Herbal Travel Essential’ to combat the problems associated with travel – dry cabin air, lack of water, mouth freshness/breath and change of climate.”

Reckart is high ambitions for Ricola. “Our aim is to position Ricola as a truly global yet unique brand in the global travel retail business with distribution through the top ten retailers globally,” he says. “We are looking at supporting the new range with strong branding, merchandising and promotion to secure personalised space in the top ten international airports. While Europe remains an important market for travel retail, our focus is on further developing our travel retail and domestic business outside our European stronghold.”